How and when were the first stars in the universe formed?
The beginnings of our universe, which began 13.8 billion years ago, hold great unanswered mysteries. However, we know that galaxies are huge collections of stars, gas, and dark matter. Their number depends on their size, which can range from a few million stars to several hundred billion.
But,when and how the first stars were formed? In this lesson from a PROFESSOR we are going to discover the answer for you so that you can better know the confines of our universe.
Knowing when the first stars in the universe were formed is a complicated question. According to recent research, they did not do it about 450 million years after the Big Bang, as was believed until now, but 100 million years later, in agreement with the observations of the Planck satellite on the polarization of the microwave background radiation.
The difference is not much if we take into account the age of the universe, but it is important because its appearance marks the beginning of a key epoch of the universe. Therefore, according to the new findings, the first stars began to form 550 million years after the Big Bang.
The first stars were created from hydrogen and helium, gases necessary for its formation. Therefore, whenever there is gas in a galaxy, stars are constantly forming.
Basically, they are formed within giant clouds of gas and dust, that contract until there is such a great pressure that matter heats up and, finally, bright balls of gas are formed that are nothing but stars.
The scientists responsible for the study explain that it is very important to determine when the first stars emerged, because with the birth of these celestial bodies, the Dark Age ended. From then on, a period known as the Epoch of reionization was inaugurated, in which its light interacts with the gas in the universe and they do not stop multiplying.
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